Regular sand clearing OKd for Poche Beach

Orange County has state and federal approval to clear sand as needed when it builds up at the mouth of Poche Creek and blocks the outlet for runoff at Poche Beach. The resulting water backup often has flooded a public walkway to the beach.

"The county of Orange is always interested in providing better public access to our beaches, parks and open space," county Supervisor Patricia Bates said in the statement. "The ongoing maintenance at this site is yet another way that we can accomplish this goal."

Poche Beach is a county beach on the border of San Clemente and Dana Point.

With the permit, OC Parks can regularly clear the sand to prevent the water backup, within constraints set by regulators to protect two wildlife species – grunions and the western snowy plover.

Susan Brodeur, senior coastal engineer with OC Parks, said the county was told in the early 2000s that it needed a permit to clear the sand that builds up in the channel. The county held a permit in recent years to clear the channel once in the spring and once in the fall, but the permit expired. The county was seeking a more flexible permit.

"We are happy that the county can now clear the channel as needed," San Clemente Councilwoman Lori Donchak said in the statement. "Our residents and visitors will greatly benefit from the improved access to Poche Beach."

The county and the city of San Clemente also are working on a new plan to solve Poche Beach's chronic pollution. The beach has been a regular in recent years on environmental group Heal the Bay's annual list of "Top 10 Beach Bummers" – those with the highest bacteria levels in the state.

According to a city-funded watershed study completed this year, the biggest reason for the beach's high bacteria levels is excessive gull droppings. Some of the possible solutions mentioned are scaring gulls away with a falcon and draining a pond that attracts the birds.

Orange County opened a $3 million runoff-treatment facility beside Poche Creek in 2010 to suck in dirty creek water and clean it with ultraviolet radiation. Regulatory agencies won't let the county discharge the treated water into the ocean or onto the beach. In 2011, the county was allowed to discharge the filtered water at the outer edge of the pond, but it tended to mix with the pond water and get dirty again.